The DaVinci Code
Tonight I went to a discussion about The DaVinci Code. I was hoping to find out why so many people have such a problem with it. Regardless of what the author might believe, it is a fiction book and is marketed as such. It presents itself as a novel, not a history book. It's based on some true things. Most good fiction is. But its purpose is to entertain, not to present a perfectly accurate historical account or to convert the world to Gnosticism. So why are there so many books out now about "debunking the DaVinci Code"?I guess some people don't like books or movies or people that question or attack their faith. But I say "Bring it on". If what I believe is true, this kind of book opens doors to sharing the truth with others. If what I believe is not true, it opens the door for me to learn the truth. It's a win-win situation.
Could Jesus have been married? I don't think so, but I haven't studied that issue. If there's evidence that he was, I'd be willing to consider it fairly. Did the church cover up a lot of things? I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me. Will The DaVinci Code convince me one way or another? Of course not. But exploring these possibilities could potentially be very interesting and entertaining. And isn't that the purpose of the book anyway?
7 Comments:
I dislike Da Vinci Code because I think that Brown's writing is ham-fisted - sure it's a page turner, but only artificially. He cheats.
The whole issue with the controversy, is that a good many people don't simply take it as fiction. It sounds a bit silly to me, but I've talked to some people who genuinely think the book has brought to light real issues that Christians don't want them to know about... I think its fame is due to controversy, and that wouldn't have happened were not Brown - whether intentionally or not - taken in some circles to be more than a novelist.
Everyone loves a good conspiracy theory. As for Christians being upset, I couldn't tell you why. Paranoia?
I say a page turner is a page turner, I don't care if he "cheats". It's purose is not to be an example of good literature/writing, whatever that means. It's purpose is to entertain.
I think Christians are mostly to blame for the fact that so many people don't take it as fiction. Let's face it. Christians generally don't give straight answers to why people should trust the Bible.
Sure, it's fine entertainment, just like maple relish goes well with picante sauce on brownies. Yummm. But a little bit does go quite a long way :).
You might be right... I don't know if it's the Christians' fault or not that it was taken as quasi-non-fiction. Part of it, no doubt, is that it's very difficult to argue with people who simply whip up their facts from scratch - like the fellow who claims to be a giant oyster in disguise.
Sorry, bad example with the brownies, Matt. I didn't mean to give you ideas...
uh oh, Matt, looks like it's time to get image verification...
I think it shows that many Christians are ready to defend their faith?
Some thoughts are below:
http://longformilk.blogspot.com/2006/05/da-vinci-code-bad-mullet-few-twists.html
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